BASF’s Coatings division inaugurated its new Glasurit Refinish Competence Centre (RCC) at its Wetherill Park site, NSW. The new RCC is a training facility and marketing platform which will be used as an education and demonstration center for technology, cost-efficient application processes, business management solutions, services and products dedicated to the collision repair industry.

“‘Forming the best team’ and ‘Innovating to help our customers to be more successful’ are two of BASF’s strategic principles,” said Peter Fischer, senior vice president, Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific, BASF. “This is exactly what we are doing with and at the RCC in Wetherill Park – providing an excellent facility that helps to sharpen customers’ competitive edge in a highly sophisticated market.”

“We invest in first-class training infrastructure as well as a team of experts, to ensure we fully and effectively address the business requirements of our customers in the collision repair industry,” Fischer added.

The RCC at Wetherill Park is the latest addition to BASF’s global network of 45 refinishes education centers. The €2.5 million investment comprises a multi-workplace concept through which fast and efficient repair processes can be optimized, booths built with full-length glass walls which optimize the viewing capabilities for training and demonstration, as well as the latest waterborne drying technology.

“Today, refinish professionals need more than traditional training,” said Tony Wiggins, head of Coatings, BASF Australia and New Zealand. “Our RCC delivers commercially oriented training that drives process optimization, so that bodyshops can be more efficient and productive, while maintaining the highest possible repair quality and maximizing their business performance.” Spanning more than 1,700 square meters, the RCC is expected to host more than 1,500 customers and industry partners, including OEM and independent bodyshops, distributors and insurance companies, on an annual basis.

Glasurit, a brand of BASF, is one of the world’s leading brands in the passenger car and commercial vehicle refinishing sector. It provides an extensive portfolio of automotive refinish coating systems, focusing on eco-efficient waterborne basecoats and high-solids paints with low solvent content. The brand also offers tools for quick and reliable color matching, consulting services that help identify potential for sustainable business development and a comprehensive training program in a global training network. Glasurit automotive refinish coatings solutions have been approved for use by most of the leading car manufacturers throughout the world.